PROGRAM NOTES

Citadel of Softness, for chorus SATB, is a setting of a 1848 poem by Christina Rossetti, in which the subject of mortality is addressed in a moving and inspiring way. The beautiful images, drawn from the natural world, make this a poem of life, hope and renewal rather than regret, loss and mourning. In setting the text I tried to keep the vocal lines as clear as possible, in order to emphasize the inherent musicality of the words. The title comes from a personal letter of writer Daniel Weiss. The work was commissioned by and is dedicated to The Manhattan Choral Ensemble and its conductor Tom Cunningham.

 

PROGRAMMA DI SALA

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Song

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply I may forget.

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